Letters to the Editor: Friday, Feb. 16, 2018

 

An open letter to Council Member Sampson

Thank you, Council Member Joe Sampson. Finally a voice of reason. I agree that it is ridiculous to be focusing on building over 200 new housing units without a secure water supply and with the sewer plant in need of replacement. These issues are only two in a whole host of environmental and infrastructure concerns that need to be addressed before we even begin to consider large scale development like this. I urge the city to be smart about growth.

Micah Phillips

Avalon

 

More hospital costs

In 1960, P.K. Wrigley gave our island a hospital and granted it to the city of Avalon. It ran for a while, but quickly had a vote and it was agreed, that the people of the island had to temporarily have added taxes to keep the hospital doors open.

That temporary tax has never been taken away. In fact, taxes and City funds are being sent to the hospital in the amount of $600,000 per year. You the taxpayers already are paying thousands to the hospital from funds the City of Avalon makes.

On an island our size, $600,000 to keep a business operating is ludicrous! Now the hospital wants us all to spend an extra $2 per trip on the only transportation we have so they can squander that money on building a new $50,000,000 hospital building. We also are being asked to spend an additional $2,500,000 more per year on a new mortgage on the new hospital building. This on top of the $600,000 already being sent to the hospital.

How will the current $600,000 plus an additional $2,500,000 be met? A payment of $2 per trip now, and huge additional taxes later!! The present hospital management can’t even run the hospital they have now with no mortgage.

Avalon citizens already live in the highest taxed state in the nation and must not put themselves in position to be taxed for a business that will drain us, and our City, further, once it is built. Most islanders go “overtown” for their medical needs. Most have had problems with the limited care offered, or problems with billing.

Let’s meet the earthquake needs of the state by retrofitting the current building for $5 million and give the level of care that we can afford.

Scott T. Van Every

Avalon